Lawmakers introduced the following trade-related bills since International Trade Today's last legislative update:
The Senate confirmed for another term Federal Maritime Commission Chairman Mario Cordero on Oct. 9 (here). Cordero's term will expire June 30, 2019. "As the nation’s premier regulatory agency for international ocean transportation, my colleagues and I face significant challenges as we seek to reduce congestion, protect the public from unfair and deceptive practices, and keep international trade flowing in an efficient and reliable manner," Cordero said in a statement (here). "I am fortunate to have the support of a small but dedicated staff of professionals to execute this vital mission"
Congress should finish its work on customs reauthorization legislation before it even considers the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement (see 1510050020), said Rep. Lou Barletta, R-Pa., in a statement (here). “We achieved real victories for American jobs in the Customs Bill that must be made permanent before we vote on the trade agreement," he said. Barletta touted antidumping enforcement provisions in the bill. "For too long, these countries have avoided penalties by shipping a product through another country and switching the label," he said. "Up to now, the American referees in the trade arena haven’t been enforcing all the penalties for the fouls committed by foreign countries. Until those protections for American workers are in place, Congress should not even vote on the Trans-Pacific Partnership.” Congress is still in the process of putting together a conference to resolve differences between customs reauthorization legislation passed by each chamber (see 1507070066).
Two Senate Democrats held a press conference Oct. 6 to urge passage of legislation to reform the “broken” Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), said a press release from Chris Coons, D-Del (here) and Tom Carper, D-Del. They said already-strong bipartisan support for the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act is growing, with 60 cosponsors now lined up in the Senate.
The Senate on Oct. 2 unanimously passed the House version of the Border Jobs for Veterans Act of 2015, HR-2835 (here). The legislation is now sent to President Barack Obama for his signature following House passage on Sept. 28 (see 1509270004). Senate lawmakers approved their version of the legislation, S-1603 (here), in early September, also unanimously. The legislation aims to boost CBP employment opportunities for military veterans by folding CBP job opportunities into the Defense Department’s Transition Assistance Program, among other outreach methods. The House version, the bill now on its way to Obama's desk, is slightly truncated. Both bills direct the Department of Homeland Security to expedite hiring of veterans, but the Senate bill would have required DHS to “identify Military Occupational Specialty Codes and Officer Branches, Air Force Specialty Codes, Naval Enlisted Classifications and Officer Designators, and Coast Guard Competencies that are transferable to the requirements, qualifications, and duties assigned to Customs and Border Protection Officers.” The Senate bill would have required DHS to make those identifications within 60 days of enactment.
Lawmakers introduced the following trade-related bills since International Trade Today's last legislative update:
The Obama administration should lobby the United Nations to indefinitely waive World Trade Organization obligations to “grant and enforce pharmaceutical patents” for least-developed countries (LDCs), said Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., in a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman in recent days, citing humanitarian needs to safeguard the health of LDC communities. “In February, these impoverished countries submitted a request to the WTO for a permanent extension of the exception of the obligations to grant drug patents, for as long as a country is classified as an LDC by the [United Nations],” said Sanders in the Sept. 28 letter (here). “The European Commission has announced it will support a permanent exception for drug patents for these poor countries. Based on conversations between my staff and the staff at [USTR], I understand the administration does not support a permanent exception for drug patents for these poor countries.” The WTO is set to make a decision on that exemption in mid-October, said Sanders.
Six House Democrats, led by Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., and Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, urged the State Department’s inspector general in recent days to investigate possible political motivations surrounding the upgrading of Malaysia on the department’s 2015 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report. In late July, State eliminated an obstacle to concluding the Trans-Pacific Partnership with Malaysia as a member by moving the country from tier 3 to tier 2 on its trafficking scale (see 1507270031). Trade Promotion Authority, now law, bars expedited consideration of trade agreements with tier 3 countries.
Senate legislation designed to reform the Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) by creating a more easily navigable federal regulatory system has continued to gain bipartisan support over recent weeks and months, and Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., on Sept. 28 topped off the number of co-sponsors at 55. Lawmakers may soon be debating the legislation, S-697 (here), on the Senate floor after Republican leadership put the bill on the chamber’s agenda.
Senate Finance Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah warned the Obama administration on Sept. 29 against hastily closing a Trans-Pacific Partnership that falls short of congressional objectives laid out in Trade Promotion Authority legislation. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is currently hosting a TPP ministerial in Atlanta.