Sorry to disagree with you but...Very unlikely that 54 U.S. house members change legislature in Panama for the banking sector and Sociedades Anónimas laws. These members are lead by Charles Rangel, who by the way is under investigation for cheating on his taxes.
No sector in Panama is desperate for this FTA (including Agriculture) which no Country in the area has shown any great benefits signing one.
The banking sector already came out cautioning the government about this. The message has been that the country's banking industry should not be at issue in the trade talks because nobody is going to give up a big industry to make money in a little industry. Something to remember is that on or about the signing of the Panama Canal Treaties in 1977, about 60 US banks marched into Panama to open their doors. It´s not the tax evaders they want, they want the industry:
When it came time to acquire the Panama Canal, the national debt of Panama had grown from $160 million in 1968 to $1.4 billion. Mostly loaned to Panama by Torrijos´ friend Nelson Rockefeller. Charles Bartlett, a columnist, wrote that the Torrijos regime "has put the small nation so deeply in the red that the canal treaty has no supporters more fervent than the American bankers whose hopes for payment rest on a revival of faith in the Panamanian economy." About 39% of the national budget of Panama was required to perform debt service on its loans. The U.S. gave Panama millions of dollars to take the canal. Creditor U.S. banks included the Rockefeller banks: Chase Manhattan Bank, First National City Bank, Bank of America, Banker's Trust, First National Bank of Chicago, Republic national Bank of Dallas and Treaty negotiator Sol Linowitz's Marine Midland Bank --ags). Sol Linowitz Chairman of Xerox Corp and Ellsworth Bunker negotiated the Panama Canal Treaties. Both Rockefeller employees. The flow of cash into Panama is just too big to pass for some powers that be.
Excuses for not signing an FTA with Panama before:
Hillary Clinton said they would not sign as long as the President of the Legislature in Panama was Pedro Miguel Gonzalez, a US fugitive. Accused of killing a US soldier during the invasion of Panama. Wasn´t there a war?
After he stepped down, they would sign the FTA with Panama if only all food products from the US would enter Panama without ANY sanitary or health controls. The Minister of Agriculture and also a negotiator himself walked out over this one.
At the same time Panama had to stop imports of US beef due to an epidemic of contaminated US meat.
Now they want the Anonymous Societies laws changed and the banks. Sure, no problem.