Senate Could Consider MTB Legislation After Upcoming Recess
Senate consideration of the American Manufacturing and Competitiveness Act may be considered the week of May 9, after the Senate returns from recess, said a lobbyist that's working on the issue. The House approved the miscellaneous tariff bill process reform legislation on April 27 (see 1604270041). Neither the Senate Finance Committee nor the office of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., have scheduled action on the legislation. A spokeswoman for the Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, hopes the Senate will consider some form of the legislation now that it was approved by the House.
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It's possible, but less likely, that the chamber considers the legislation as soon as this week, said the lobbyist. It also still remains unclear, as there have been “mixed signals,” on whether the Senate Finance Committee will mark up its version of the legislation, or whether the passed House bill will directly advance to Senate floor consideration, the lobbyist said. “I find it hard to believe that floor consideration could take place this week,” he said. The lobbyist said he’s guessing the bill will be taken up after the Senate returns from recess, largely because this week is almost finished, but there’s still “nothing concrete on that.”
A McConnell spokeswoman confirmed that her office hasn’t scheduled any vote on the MTB legislation, noting that the full Senate was considering the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act on April 28. “The legislation was … introduced in a bipartisan manner, in a bicameral manner,” the spokeswoman said. “We’ll be discussing next steps moving forward, but we don’t have any scheduling announcements at this point.”
Several industry groups, including Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America (FDRA) (here), the American Chemistry Council (ACC) (here), and the Society of Chemical Manufacturers and Affiliates (SOCMA) (here), praised the House passage of the legislation, saying it will help U.S. manufacturers maintain and build their competitiveness in the global arena. “We urge the Senate to act quickly and consider this legislation that would ensure we finally have in place a system that helps specialty chemical manufacturers here in America compete in the global market and win," SOCMA Vice President of Government and Public Relations Bill Allmond said in a statement. "Given the strong bicameral, bipartisan support for the MTB process reform bill, SOCMA is hopeful that the Senate will be able to consider the measure now that it has cleared the House.”