The House Rules Committee voted along party lines on June 9 to advance repeal legislation for country-of-origin labeling, and Republican leadership said the legislation is headed for a June 10 vote on the House floor. The Rules Committee, which is comprised of nine Republicans and only four Democrats, endorsed a “closed rule” for the repeal bill, HR-2393 (here). The committee voted to give only one hour of debate to the legislation, and put in place a number of other measures to expedite consideration of the bill (here).
Senate and House trade leaders are beginning to negotiate over a compromise payment mechanism in the Senate-passed preference package and its House counterpart, said a Senate Finance Committee aide on June 9. House Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said in recent days the preference packages will go to legislative conference over the different offsets (see 1506040066).
Lawmakers introduced the following trade-related bills since International Trade Today's last legislative update:
Nearly 300 labor unions and consumer groups railed against efforts to repeal U.S. country-of-origin labeling for meat muscle products in a June 8 letter, only days after a top Canadian official threatened to retaliate as quickly as possible over the dispute. COOL has caused “negligible at most” harm to Canada and Mexico, said the letter (here), which was endorsed by the AFL-CIO, Public Citizen and other high-profile groups.
More House Democrats are guaranteed to jump on board Trade Promotion Authority before Republican leadership puts the legislation up for a vote in the House, and lawmakers are on course to pass TPA and other trade legislation in the coming days or weeks, said John Engler, president of the Business Roundtable on a June 8 conference call. Engler declined to comment on when he expects a House vote and House Republican leadership also remains guarded (see 1506080013). Experts say House leadership is waiting to vote until they ensure the necessary support is there (see 1505310002).
The International Trade Commission should hone its statistical reporting on e-cigarettes and e-cigarette parts and liquids, Senate Finance ranking member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., told ITC Chairman Meredith Broadbent in a June 8 letter (here). Statistical figures for imports are largely unknown because “current tariff schedules do not contain reporting codes specific to these products,” said Wyden, citing a recent Government Accountability Office report. The GAO released that report in May (here). “Unlike the traditional U.S. market for tobacco products where less than 6 percent of products are imported, it appears that most e-cigarettes are imported, as are the nicotine-containing liquids used in them,” said Wyden in the letter. “Although the health risks of these products are not fully known, the [Food and Drug Administration] and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have warned of their use.” E-cigarettes and related products aren’t subject to “health-based regulation” or “unique import tariffs,” said Wyden. Wyden called on the interagency Committee for Statistical Annotation of Tariff Schedules to develop statistical analysis specific to those products.
The House is likely to vote on legislation, HR-2393 (here), to repeal country-of-origin labeling for meat muscle cuts on June 12, said House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. Trade legislation is also due for "possible consideration," McCarthy said. Trade experts say House Republican leadership is taking time to ensure it has the votes to pass the trade bills (see 1505310002). Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said on June 4, however, Democrats need to deliver more votes in order to pass Trade Promotion Authority (see 1506040066).
Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., introduced legislation on June 4 to expand the Taft-Hartley Act, the benchmark labor relations measure signed into law in 1947, in order to deter future slowdowns and shutdowns at U.S. ports. Gardner introduced the Protecting Orderly and Responsible Transit of Shipments (PORTS) Act, S-1519, months after West Coast port operations ground to a halt over a contract dispute between port operators and labor (see 1502120049). The text of the bill isn’t yet public.
Lawmakers introduced the following trade-related bills since International Trade Today's last legislative update:
House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, may need to deliver 200 Republican votes in order to pass Trade Promotion Authority, said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., in a June 4 press conference. Pelosi rejected suggestions that she is responsible for bringing some votes to the table in order to assist Democratic President Barack Obama. Just under 20 Democrats have so far declared support for TPA (see 1505290011).