Lawmakers introduced the following trade-related bill since International Trade Today's last legislative update:
The Brunei and Malaysian governments continue to sponsor gross human rights violations, including persecution of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals, and the Obama administration should remove those countries from Trans-Pacific Partnership talks unless the two countries “address” those issues, said five members of the House LGBT caucus in a Feb. 18 letter to President Barack Obama (here). House members Mark Pocan, D-Wis., Mark Takano, D-Calif., D-R.I., Sean Patrick Maloney, D-N.Y., and Krysten Sinema, D-Ariz., signed the letter.
Malaysia needs to make several concessions in order to meet U.S. expectations in a final Trans-Pacific Partnership pact, said House Ways and Means Republicans on Feb. 18, after Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and a congressional delegation met with Malaysian officials on the second leg of an ongoing TPP tour (here). Ryan and the delegation, which consists of one Democrat and six additional Republican lawmakers on the committee, left Washington on Feb. 13 for an initial stop in Singapore (see 1502150003). Malaysia is still falling short in strengthening its standards for state-owned enterprises, market access, intellectual property, and labor, said the statement. Ryan told Malaysian officials he expects Trade Promotion Authority to pass the U.S. Congress soon, added the statement. TPA is widely viewed as essential to passing TPP implementation legislation.
Lawmakers introduced the following trade-related bills since International Trade Today's last legislative update:
Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., introduced legislation in recent days to lift the U.S. embargo on Cuba and expand U.S. export opportunities in the country. The bill would repeal the Helms-Burton Act, and slash restrictions to U.S.-Cuban transactions and shipping, Klobuchar said in a statement (here). House members introduced the same legislation in mid-February (see 1501160009). Another sponsor of the measure, Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., praised the bill for opening up the Cuban market for U.S. agriculture and other goods. "After more than 50 years of stalemate, it’s time for a new policy on Cuba,” she said. “By laying the groundwork for normal commercial relations, we can begin to provide greater access to the Cuban people to American products and more democratic ideas.”
The Express Association of America applauded recently introduced legislation to raise the de minimis level for U.S. commercial imports to $800, in a Feb. 13 press release. Sens. John Thune, R-S.D., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., introduced the Low Value Shipment Regulatory Modernization Act, S-489, on Feb. 12 (see 1502120074). Reps. Aaron Schock, R-Ill., and Joe Crowley, D-N.Y., led the bill’s introduction in the House as well.
House Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., led a congressional delegation to meet with high-ranking trade and economic officials in Singapore on Feb. 16, his office said (here). The lawmakers pressed the significance of TPP intellectual property protections, state-owned enterprise rules and strong market access opportunities for U.S. producers, said the statement. Congress is committed to improving trade relations with Singapore and other Southeast Asian nations, the statement added.
The Senate proposal to revamp the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill submission process is a step in the right direction, but House lawmakers are still considering ways to make more improvements to the MTB process while staying “faithful to the earmarks ban,” said House Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., in comments to reporters on Feb. 13. Ryan renewed his support for the MTB bill as a whole, and said lawmakers are searching for a resolution to bring the tariff suspension program back on line.
Eight tech associations sent a letter to congressional leaders on Feb. 12, calling for passage of Trade Promotion Authority. Signing the letter were the Consumer Electronics Association, BSA/The Software Alliance, the Computer & Communications Industry Association, the Information Technology Industry Council, the Internet Association, the Semiconductor Industry Association, the Silicon Valley Leadership Group and TechNet. “We need a gold standard framework for global trade that is reflective of today’s digital economy and the growing importance of the technology and Internet sectors,” they said. That requires TPA’s passage, they added.
All World Intellectual Property Organization members should have an equal voice in amending the Lisbon Agreement for the Protection of Appellations of Origin, said a Thursday letter to WIPO Director General Francis Gurry. The letter was sent by bipartisan leaders of the House and Senate Judiciary committees, Senate Finance Committee and House Ways and Means Committee. “The Lisbon Agreement is a WIPO-administered treaty that allows parties to the agreement to simultaneously register Appellations of Origin with all parties to the agreement,” a separate joint release said. “The proposed changes would substantially expand the scope of the Lisbon Agreement to allow for registration of Geographical Indications (GI’s) and could threaten market access for many common products, such as feta cheese, around the world,” it said. “Given that only 28 of the 188 WIPO members are parties to the Lisbon Agreement, lawmakers in Congress are concerned that departing from WIPO’s longstanding practice to allow this limited group of WIPO Members to amend the Agreement could result in unwanted changes that would ultimately harm workers and businesses in the United States and around the world.” WIPO didn’t comment.