Textile Enforcement Bill Would Help Stem Fraud, Says Sen. Hagan
Senator Kay Hagan, D-N.C. outlined the benefits of the recently reintroduced Textile Enforcement and Security Act (TESA) during an event in North Carolina, said an Oct. 24 press release. The legislation aims to prevent illegal trafficking of yarn and evasion of duties. Originally introduced in 2011, the bill was reintroduced in July 2013. The Senator announced the reintroduction now because of scheduling difficulties with local industry leaders, said a spokesman. The legislation would establish the following policies, according to the release:
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- Establishes an electronic verification program that tracks yarn and fabric inputs in free trade agreements.
- Increases the number of trained import specialists in textile and apparel verifications at the 15 largest U.S. ports (by value) that process textile and apparel imports.
- Increases staff at the Textile and Trade Agreements Division in CBP headquarters that are dedicated and trained in identifying textiles fraud.
- Mandates the publishing of names of companies that intentionally violate the rules of textile and apparel trade agreements.
“Passage of the Textile Enforcement and Security Act will ensure that workers in our yarn, fabric, and textiles industries will not be put at a disadvantage because of fraud that goes unchecked,” said Hagan, according to the release. The bill safeguards U.S. manufacturing employment, said the National Council of Textile Organizations in a press release (here). “Strong enforcement of our trade laws is imperative to the preservation of the over 500,000 U.S. jobs which rely on the domestic textile and apparel industry,” said NCTO President Auggie Tantillo. Senator Hagan’s office did not respond for further comment on anticipation of legislative movement.