Since late 2003, the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee has worked to convene hearings on the merits of U.S. accession to the Law of the Sea Treaty as part of an effort to prompt the full Senate to ratify U.S. accession via the United States' treaty-making process. On February 25, 2004, the Committee voted unanimously (19-0) to support U.S. accession and reported the Convention and the 1994 Implementing Agreement to the full Senate for consideration. On March 11, 2004 the Convention was placed on the Senate schedule and became eligible for the final step that would bring the United States into state party membership. In a somewhat unusual turn of events, additional Senate and House committees requested hearings on the Convention before any Senate vote might be held. On March 23, 2004, public hearings were held before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. On April 8, 2004 the Senate Armed Services Committee held hearings. On May 12, 2004 the House Committee on International Relations held hearings and on June 8, 2004, the Senate Select Intelligence Committee held closed hearings. Opponents of Convention accession continued to raise concerns about implications of the Convention on, among other things, U.S. sovereignty, and the specter of an international taxing authority.
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