Senate Passes Own Bill on GSP and ATPA/ATPDEA Extensions, with AGOA and D.R. Provisions
On October 2, 2008, the Senate passed an amended version of H.R. 7222, a bill that would extend the Andean trade preferences and Generalized System of Preferences programs beyond their current expiration dates, and make various changes regarding certain African and Dominican Republic textiles.
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Before Senate passage, Senator Baucus, Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, stated that the Senate's version of H.R. 7222 would:
extend the Generalized System of Preferences for one year (though December 31, 2009),
extend the Andean Trade Preferences Act/Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act for six months to one year, with safeguards to ensure that Bolivia and Ecuador comply with that program's rules,
afford the Dominican Republic enhanced access to the U.S. market in a way that benefits U.S. producers, and
allow the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) to work better.
On September 29, 2008, the House of Representatives passed its version of H.R. 7222. The House version of H.R. 7222 would extend both the GSP (A, A*, A) and ATPA/ATPDEA programs for one year, until December 31, 2009. The House version would also repeal the African Growth and Opportunity Act provision on 'abundant supply,' reinstate Mauritius' eligibility to use the AGOA program's third-country fabric provisions, and establish a "2 for 1" textile and apparel allowance program, etc.
A comparison of both versions of the bill indicate that their AGOA and Dominican Republic provisions are substantially the same.
(See ITT's Online Archives or 09/30/08 news, 08093000, for BP summary of House version of H.R. 7222.)
Senator Baucus' statement (dated 10/02/08), available at http://finance.senate.gov/press/Bpress/2008press/prb100208A.pdf
H.R. 7222 as passed by the Senate available at http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=110_cong_bills&docid=f:h7222eas.txt.pdf