On November 18, 2011, the President signed into law the conference version of H.R. 2112, the “Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2012” which was passed by both the House and Senate on November 17, 2011. H.R. 2112 provides FY 2012 full-year appropriations through September 30, 2012, for the Agriculture Department, Commerce Department, Food and Drug Administration, International Trade Commission, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, Transportation Department, etc. In addition, it provides for continuing FY 2012 appropriations through December 16, 2011, for the remaining projects and activities of the Federal Government.
The following are trade-related highlights of the Executive Communications sent to Congress on November 1 - 15, 2011:
Leaders of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees are pressing U.S. Trade Representative Kirk to ensure that adequate focus is paid to Russia's obligations to protect and enforce intellectual property rights as the country moves toward gaining membership into the World Trade Organization. The leaders expressed concerns over widespread counterfeiting and piracy of goods; gaps in Russian law and enforcement efforts with respect to piracy over the Internet; varying levels of enforcement among regions; and, indications of selective enforcement. They add that a high-standard accession package will be essential before both Houses of Congress can consider a vote to remove Russia from Title IV of the Trade Act of 1974 (the Jackson-Vanik amendment that limits certain trade with non-market economies that restrict emigration, etc.), which is necessary for the U.S. to enjoy the full benefits of Russian membership in the WTO.
On November 17, 2011, the House is scheduled to consider the conference version of H.R. 2112, a fiscal year 2012 appropriations bill for Agriculture, Commerce, and Transportation1,2 which would provide funding for Food Safety Modernization Act implementation, export promotion, etc. The conference version of H.R. 2112 also includes a Continuing Resolution to avoid a government shutdown and continue other federal operations until December 16, 2011 or Congress completes the remaining nine FY 2012 Appropriations bills. The Senate is expected to consider the bill sometime after the House.
On November 14, 2011, the following trade-related bills were introduced:
The following are the trade-related hearings scheduled for November 15-19, 2011:
President Obama has submitted to the Senate for its advice and consent the November 2009 United Nations Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter, and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing, under the auspices of the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). If approved by a two-thirds vote in the Senate, the agreement will be able to be ratified by the President.
On November 9, 2011, Senator Enzi (R-WY) and 9 co-sponsors1 introduced a bipartisan bill that would give states the option to collect the sales taxes they are owed under current law from out-of-state businesses, rather than rely on consumers to pay those taxes to the states -- the method of tax collection to which they are now restricted (S. 1832, the Marketplace Fairness Act).
On November 9, 2011, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee unanimously approved an amended version of S.1813, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21), a bill to reauthorize the nation's transportation programs for two years.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Baucus (D-MT) and Ranking Member Hatch (R-UT) commented following the decision by the Working Party on the Accession of the Russian Federation to the World Trade Organization (WTO) to approve the terms of Russia’s accession. This decision cleared the last hurdle before WTO ministers can formally invite Russia into the WTO, which is expected to happen in December 2011. The Finance Committee leaders state that they will be reviewing the final agreement and Russia's implementation to ensure the result is a high-standard agreement that will provide a job creating economic boost to the U.S.