Commerce Appropriations Bill Passes House Rules Committee Hurdle, Boosts Trade Funding
The fiscal year 2015 (FY15) appropriations legislation (here) for the departments of Commerce and Justice, along with related agencies, advanced (here) through the House Rules Committee on May 19, and was reported to the House floor. The bill, introduced on May 15 by Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., slightly boosts funding for the International Trade Administration and Bureau of Industry and Security. The legislation also significantly increases allocations for the Census Bureau.
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The legislation raises International Trade Administration funding to $473 million, from FY14 enacted levels of $470 million (see 14011423). The International Trade Administration funding draws $10 million from fees generated by the agency. The bill mandates $16.4 of the agency funds to be used for antidumping and countervailing duty enforcement and compliance related to imports from China. The bill also increases by roughly $2 million funding for the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security to $103.5 million, and boosts allocations for the Census Bureau to $858.5 from $693 million in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2014 (here). The House Appropriations Committee approved draft legislation of the bill a week prior to introduction (here).