U.S. House vote on Russia trade bill expected next week

The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote next week on a long-delayed bill to ensure U.S. companies receive all the market-opening benefits of Russia's recent accession to the World Trade Organization, congressional aides said on Friday.

The House Rules Committee has scheduled a meeting late Tuesday afternoon on the legislation to establish "permanent normal trade relations" (PNTR) with Russia, setting the stage for a full House vote on the bill by the end of the week, a House leadership aide said.

The Senate would also have to approve the White House-backed legislation for President Barack Obama to sign it into law.

On Thursday, a coalition of more than 500 companies and business organizations urged members of Congress to approve the bill quickly.

"For nearly eighty days now, all of the other 155 members of the WTO have been able to fully access Russia's market liberalizations, including new rules related to services, science-based animal and plant health, and intellectual property protection - but U.S. businesses cannot," the groups sai

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