New lobbyist registrations on trade-related issues include:
The North American Energy Infrastructure Act, H.R. 3301 (here), provides the regulatory certainty needed to transport increasingly abundant U.S. energy across the Canadian and Mexican borders, Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., told an Oct. 29 hearing focused on the legislation (here). The legislation would enable the infrastructure construction required to keep pace with an expected continued hike in U.S. oil and natural gas production, said Upton.
The Senate Finance Committee, chaired by Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., will conduct a hearing on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership on Oct. 30. Baucus and ranking member Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, will deliver statements, according to a committee release.The following witnesses will testify:
The widening U.S. trade deficit with South Korea demonstrates the need for the Obama Administration to ensure U.S. manufacturing receives significant foreign market access in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., wrote in an Oct. 24 letter to President Barack Obama. The U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement entered into force in March 2012. The deficit now totals nearly $15 billion, according to Census data released on Oct. 24 (here), up $1.5 billion since 2011. “As the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations appear to be drawing to a close, I am increasingly concerned that our trade negotiators are making the same mistakes that were made in KORUS and previous trade agreements,” said Slaughter. The letter is being kept private due to on-going correspondence with the administration, said a press official for Slaughter. U.S. trade officials continue to eye the end of 2013 for conclusion of TPP negotiations, a 12-nation prospective pact (see 13100805).
Senator Kay Hagan, D-N.C. outlined the benefits of the recently reintroduced Textile Enforcement and Security Act (TESA) during an event in North Carolina, said an Oct. 24 press release. The legislation aims to prevent illegal trafficking of yarn and evasion of duties. Originally introduced in 2011, the bill was reintroduced in July 2013. The Senator announced the reintroduction now because of scheduling difficulties with local industry leaders, said a spokesman. The legislation would establish the following policies, according to the release:
New lobbyist registrations on trade-related issues include:
Recent trade-related bills introduced in Congress include:
The House passed the Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA) of 2013, H.R. 3080 (here), on Oct. 23 by a 417-3 vote, illustrating the legislation’s bipartisan support and high likelihood of passage after an impending conference with the Senate. The Oct. 23 debate that preceded the vote tacked on 17 amendments.
The Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2013 will provide significant economic benefit to the country, said U.S. Chamber of Commerce Executive Vice President for Government Affairs Bruce Josten in an Oct. 23 letter to Congress (here). The Chamber urges House lawmakers to pass the legislation, H.R. 3080 (here), that authorizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to construct new projects designed to improve the nation’s navigation system, strengthen flood-risk management and restore the environment. The House is slated to debate the bill on Oct. 23, possibly paving the way for a vote on the same day. The Senate passed its version of the bill in May (see 13102233).
The Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA) of 2013, scheduled for a vote this week in the House, would cost roughly $3.5 billion from 2014-2018, the Congressional Budget Office said on Oct. 21. H.R. 3080 is the House version of WRRDA legislation that passed the Senate in May (see 13101809). The government would also spend $4.7 billion from 2019-2023 for authorized projects tied to the prospective law. There are no pay-as-you-go considerations because the bill does not generate revenue or direct spending, said CBO.