The Senate on May 12 by a vote of 90-8 passed HR-2028, the “Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act” for fiscal 2017, which includes language added in the form of a substitute (S. 2804 (here) as well as several senators’ amendments (here). In a statement, the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) lauded the Senate’s passage of the bill, and noted that the Senate version of the legislation would fund new navigation studies and construction, and that it matches the House’s $1.3 billion markup for Harbor Maintenance Tax-funded work for fiscal 2017, $37 million more than the fiscal 2016-enacted funding level (here). “This is extremely important legislation that will aid our economy and environment, and the ability of America’s ports to handle increasingly larger cargo and passenger ships,” AAPA CEO Kurt Nagle said in a statement. House lawmakers will consider the un-amended version of their chamber’s legislation on the floor, a spokesman for House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. said. Assuming the House bill passes, lawmakers from chambers are expected to convene to work out discrepancies between the respective bills. The House Appropriations Committee reported out its version of the fiscal 2017 Energy and Water Development spending bill on April 19 (see 1604210074).
The Senate on May 10 passed by unanimous consent H.R. 4923, the American Manufacturing Competitiveness Act, sending the legislation to the White House. The bill, which would change the process for compiling miscellaneous tariff bills, is hoped to allow for an MTB that avoids a controversy over earmarking in the House. The progress drew widespread praise from the likes of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, U.S. chemical associations, and U.S. manufacturers. Although the Senate introduced companion legislation to H.R. 4923, the chamber’s Finance Committee never marked up that version of the bill. A brief hold on the bill in the Senate was lifted as expected (see 1604270041), said a lobbyist.
Lawmakers recently introduced the following trade-related bills:
Congressional support for ending the Cuban embargo is growing, and “it’s only a matter of time” before U.S.-Cuba relations are fully normalized, Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, said on May 6 during a visit to Havana, where she met with Josefina Vidal Ferreiro, the Cuban Government’s chief negotiator with the U.S. (here). Pingree led a group of U.S. organic experts on a four-day trip to the country to meet with farmers, small-business owners, educators, and government officials, her office said in a statement. The Cuban Ministry of Trade “asked Pingree to bring more companies from Maine back to Cuba” to explore future business opportunities, the lawmaker’s office said. “The Cubans have a commitment to organic agriculture, and the companies that are with me collectively sell billions of dollars of organic products every year,” Pingree said. “There are definitely some opportunities for both sides.” The lawmaker also noted that the private sector would be “key” to maintaining momentum on creating partnerships and strengthening relations between the U.S. and Cuba.
Illinois Republican Reps. Peter Roskam, Robert Dold, and Randy Hultgren are pressuring Boeing not to sell aircraft to Iran, after learning of apparent company discussions with Iranian government-run firms, according to a letter sent by the lawmakers to Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg (here). “Such commercial transactions would effectively subsidize the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, significantly augmenting the regime’s ability to sow the seeds of death and destruction around the globe,” they said. “We urge Boeing – in the strongest possible terms – not to do business with Iran until it ends its support for terror. We have already conveyed this message to your international competitors in the aviation industry.” Although the Obama administration continued most sanctions against Iran despite negotiation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), “a specific exception” was made for commercial aircraft sales, and the congressmen said forgoing planned sales isn’t about legal compliance, but rather “about doing what is right.” They said Iran Air, the country’s flagship, state-run airline, was “only recently” delisted from Treasury’s sanctions list in a move that many viewed as a JCPOA-related concession, and that commercial jets would likely be converted into warplanes for the Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Lawmakers recently introduced the following trade-related bills:
The House passed S. 1890, the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016, sending the bill to President Barack Obama for signature (here). The legislation creates a private civil cause of action for misappropriation of trade secrets related to products or services in foreign or interstate commerce, according to the bill summary (here). If enacted, the legislation would require the Attorney General to consult with the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator, as well as the Undersecretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property/Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and other relevant agency heads, to submit to the House and Senate Judiciary committees a report that covers the scope of overseas theft of U.S. companies’ trade secrets, and details progress made to protect against foreign theft of U.S. company trade secrets, among other things. The reports would be due one year after the bill’s enactment, and biannually every year after.
The Senate Finance Committee rescheduled its CBP oversight hearing to hear testimony from CBP Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske for May 11, according to the committee website (here). Originally scheduled for April 21, the hearing was postponed so Kerlikowske could attend a border patrol agent's funeral (see 1605020003).
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has unanimously approved the “Eliminate, Neutralize, and Disrupt (END) Wildlife Trafficking Act,” which would authorize top U.S. officials to engage in anti-poaching and anti-trafficking activities, direct reviews to examine the progress made on curtailment of trafficking in relevant countries, and require interagency involvement with pertinent governments. The bill would require the U.S. government to make recommendations for how to address wildlife trafficking threats, and would also instruct yearly reporting on how all appropriations to combat the illicit practice are being spent, according to the bill text (here).
An undisclosed Republican senator prevented fast track consideration of miscellaneous tariff bill process reform on April 28, preventing speedy approval of the legislation, according to a knowledgeable source. Senate Majority Leadership attempted to pass HR-4923, the American Manufacturing Competitiveness Act, under a unanimous consent procedure, which is used for quick approval of uncontroversial legislation but can be stalled by a single senator. The Senate Democratic Caucus cleared the bill, the source said. Despite the hold, there does not appear to be any "substantive issues on either side," said a lobbyist who's working on the issue. "It could have been entirely procedural -- perhaps a member wanted more time to consider it before voting," the lobbyist said.