House Amends Defense Bill to Keep Berry Amendment Thresholds in Place
The House passed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (here) on May 15, and the legislation includes an amendment to keep in place current thresholds for government procurement of apparel, cotton products and other manufactured products. Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., introduced the provision, and it passed by voice vote as part of a bloc of amendments.
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Textile and apparel groups recently criticized provisions in the original bill that would have increased the threshold at which the government is exempt from U.S.-origin procurement requirements, including the Berry Amendment (see 1505060020). The increase, part of the original legislation, would have raised that threshold from $150,000 to $500,000.
The National Council of Textile Organizations applauded the McGovern amendment in a May 15 statement. “Berry helps to spur U.S. manufacturing, investment, employment, and exports,” said NCTO in the statement (here). “It is imperative that Congress preserve the integrity of the Berry Amendment through policies like Congressman McGovern’s amendment.” The Berry Amendment requires the Defense Department to give procurement preference to U.S. companies. The McGovern provision will also affect the Kissell Amendment, a law that requires the Transportation Security Administration to procure textile and apparel products made exclusively with U.S.-origin products (here).
The final amendment language is the result of some wrangling in the House legislative process, said a McGovern aide. "The compromise version of the McGovern amendment negotiated by the House Rules Committee and passed on the House floor maintains the $150,000 threshold for textiles, clothing, apparel and related materials," said the aide. "Unlike the original McGovern amendment submitted to the Rules Committee, it does not apply to all sectors."