The Senate gave its approval for legislation (HR-6156) Dec. 6 that would give Russia and Moldova Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) status. The Senate approval means the next step will be a signature from President Barack Obama. The House recently approved the bill, which would repeal the Jackson-Vanik amendment, which limits U.S. trade with communist countries.

The Senate leadership pushed to Dec. 6 consideration of legislation (HR-6156) that would give Russia and Moldova Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) status. The Senate has reached an agreement to consider the Russia-Moldova PNTR bill with no amendments, according to Senate Democrats. The House recently approved the bill, which would repeal the Jackson-Vanik amendment, which limits U.S. trade with communist countries.

The Senate leadership scheduled a vote Dec. 5 on legislation (HR-6156) that would give Russia and Moldova Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) status, according to the Senate floor calendar. The House recently approved the bill, which would repeal the Jackson-Vanik amendment, which limits U.S. trade with communist countries..

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.), Ranking Member Sandy Levin (D-Mich.), Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.), and Ranking Member Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) are concerned with China's economic model and use of state-owned enterprises, they said in a letter to Department of Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank and U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk. The letter was sent ahead of a meeting of the U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade.

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.) congratulated and welcomed the new Republican members of the Ways and Means Committee in a Nov. 30 statement. The new members are Tim Griffin (R-Ark.), Mike Kelly (R-Pa.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), and Todd Young (R-Ind.). “The Members joining our Committee will bring valuable experience, expertise and energy to the Committee -- all of which are welcome as the Committee continues its mission of creating the best possible climate for economic growth and job creation,” said Camp. “The fiscal challenges facing America are significant, and the addition of these four members complements the tremendous skills and knowledge of our existing Members working to solve these problems.”

The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to consider Dec. 6 the nomination of Mark Barnett, to be a Judge of the United States Court of International Trade.

Reps. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), Walter Jones (R-N.C.) and Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) pushed for strong public health protections as part of the ongoing negotiations for a Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), in a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk. "As a result of expanded trade with two particular TPP countries, Vietnam and Malaysia, the United States markets could see an influx of imported contaminated seafood," said a press release. Those two countries have an especially poor track record for seafood imported into the U.S., the lawmakers said.

The Senate Homeland Security committee reported on Nov. 26 the Safeguarding American Agriculture Act of 2012, a bill “to enhance agricultural import and entry inspection functions, and for other purposes.” The bill would require creation of a CBP agriculture specialist career track and a CBP-Animal Plant Health and Inspection Service rotation program. But as reported, the bill would not mandate the creation of a CBP Office of Agricultural Inspection, as would have been required by the bill as first introduced. A spokeswoman for Senator Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), who chairs the Senate Homeland Security committee, told us the Senator “did not think a CBP Office of Agricultural Inspection advanced the goal of a unified, integrated agency.”

House Republican leadership chose Rep. Dave Camp (R-Mich.) to continue to chair the House Ways and Means Committee in the next Congress. "We will keep pursuing new opportunities in the global marketplace while enforcing our rights and holding our trading partners accountable," Camp said in a press release (here).

House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Texas) hopes to see movement on two major pieces of customs-related legislation by the end of the year, he said at the CBP East Coast Trade Symposium Nov. 27. Brady hopes to introduce a customs reauthorization bill this year and expects a miscellaneous tariff bill (MTB) “shortly,” he said.