Daily Update on Capitol Hill Trade Actions
"Daily Update on Capitol Hill Trade Actions" is a regular feature of International Trade Today. The following are brief summaries of recent Capitol Hill actions.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Timely, relevant coverage of court proceedings and agency rulings involving tariffs, classification, valuation, origin and antidumping and countervailing duties. Each day, Trade Law Daily subscribers receive a daily headline email, in-depth PDF edition and access to all relevant documents via our trade law source document library and website.
Clean Energy Legislation Markup Began May 18th
The House Energy and Commerce Committee began its mark up of H.R. 2454, The American Clean Energy and Security Act on May 18, 2009. The Committee has posted various documents related to the mark up to its Web site, including a summary of H.R. 2454, a Waxman-Markey amendment in the nature of a substitute, and Chairman Waxman's opening statement. (See ITT's Online Archives or 05/14/09 news, 09051410, for BP summary of the Committee's announcement of the mark up.)
Foreign Relations Authorization Act Would Increase Funds for IPR Enforcement
On May 14, 2009, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Berman (D) introduced legislation to improve and support U.S. foreign policy efforts, the Foreign Relations Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 2010 and 2011 (H.R. 2410). This legislation would, among other things, increase resources and training for enforcement of intellectual property rights, especially in countries identified by the U.S. government as lax in enforcing those rights.
Tobacco Smuggling, Tax Bill Reported by House Judiciary Committee
On May 18, 2009, the House Judiciary Committee reported with an amendment H.R. 1676, a bill to prevent tobacco smuggling, to ensure the collection of all tobacco taxes, and for other purposes (H. Rept. 111-117).
Trade-Related Bills Introduced on May 18, 2009
On May 18, 2009, the following trade-related bills were introduced:
| Commercial vehicle weight | S. 1059. A bill to permit commercial vehicles at weights up to 129,000 pounds to use certain highways of the Interstate System in the State of Idaho which would provide significant savings in the transportation of goods throughout the U.S., and for other purposes |
| U.S. Beef promotion | S. 1062. A bill to amend the Beef Research and Information Act to allow the promotion of beef that is born and raised exclusively in the U.S. and to establish new referendum requirements |
If it is determined that any of the above Congressional actions, hearings, or bills warrant more in-depth coverage, such information will be provided separately in a future issue of International Trade Today.