TRADE BILL TO CHANGE AGRICULTURE TRADE LAWS The House Ways and Means Committee is moving toward passage of a trade bill that sponsors said was intended to help open foreign markets to U.S. agricultural goods and to modify some U.S. agricultural trade laws. The trade subcommittee voted to require President Reagan to take into account the potential harm to U.S. agricultural exports of any trade retaliation he might impose for foreign unfair trade practices against other domestic industries. The bill would allow U.S. agricultural producers to seek government monitoring of imports if there is a reasonable chance the industry would be harmed by an import surge. The full Ways and Means Committee is to consider the bill next week and congressional sources said they expect it will be approved. In investigations involving a processed agricultural product, trade associations of processors or producers would have to petition for relief from foreign dumping or unfair duties. The bill sets out U.S. trade negotiating objectives for the Uruguay round of talks under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. It would seek fair trade in agriculture, seek to discipline restrictive or trade distorting import and export practices, to eliminate tariffs, subsidies, quotas and non-tariff barriers. President Reagan's authority to negotiate a new GATT agreement would be extended through January 1993 and authority to negotiate a free trade zone with Canada would be extended through January 3, 1991. The bill extends Reagan's authority to negotiate an international coffee agreement through October 31, 1989. It allows a refund of import duties paid on raw sugar imported from November 1, 1977 to March 31, 1985 for production of sugar or products containing sugar and destined for re-export. The export of the sugar or products must occur before Octoer 1, 1991. Presently, to qualify for the refund the sugar must be processed within three years after import and exported within five years. Agriculture would also benefit from more rapid decisions in complaints of unfair foreign trade practices or injury from imports.