Economy
Senate to Vote on Customs Bill Thursday
Written by Brett Linton
February 9, 2016
The long awaited customs bill is headed to the Senate for approval on Thursday, Feb. 11. If Senate approves the conference report of the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act (H.R. 644) it will move on to the White House for the President’s signature.
The bill is designed, among other things, to streamline the flow of legitimate trade and to enforce U.S. trade agreements, U.S. intellectual property rights and antidumping and countervailing duty laws, as well as combating currency manipulation. The Act will help prevent competitors from gaining an unfair advantage in the U.S. market.
The American Institute for International Steel has given its support to bill. In an email to AIIS members, the Institute wrote:
“Among the key Customs and other improvements contained in this bipartisan legislation are provisions to modernize Customs and Boarder Protection’s (CPB) automated systems, and to make further progress toward the development of a “single window”, so that cross-border traders can fulfill all U.S. Government import and export requirements through a single contact point, or window. These improvements will result in real costs savings that will help make the United States more internationally competitive. By facilitating trade, especially trade through our ports, these provisions will also help secure port-related jobs and wages.”
AIIS has requested steel industry members to contact their Senators and urge them to vote for the conference report of the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement act.
A summary of the Customs Bill can be read here.
Brett Linton
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