	key u s house panel finishes major  bill the house ways and means committee completed action on legislation to toughen u s  laws chairman dan rostenkowski said the committee s consideration of one of the most controversial provisions a plan to force major  surplus countries to cut their  imbalance with the united states was deferred until the full house considers the  bill its sponsor rep richard gephardt said gephardt a missouri democrat told reuters he was not certain the exact form his  surplus reduction proposal would take last year the house approved his plan to force a pct surplus cutback each year for four years by countries such as japan the ways and means committess  bill forces president reagan to retaliate against unfair  practices that violate international  agreements but it allows him to wave retaliatory tariffs or quotas if the action would hurt the u s economy the  bill gives u s  representative clayton yeutter more authority in  negotiations and in decisions to grant domestic industries import relief it also gives him authority to decide whether foreign  practices are unfair and violate u s trading rights these powers are currently held by president reagan the administration has strongly objected to this transfer of authority from reagan to yeutter the bill also extends u s authority to negotiate multilateral  agreements the bill will be wrapped into other  legislation and voted on in the house in april reuter 
